The Untold Stories of the Salvatore Brothers
by daydreamer4life2011
Summary: What happened to Damon and Stefan after Katherine's "suicide" to bring them closer? What about Katherine herself? Takes place before The Awakening, the first TVD novel. Read to discover the adventures that led up to the brothers' arrival in Fell's Church.
1. Chapter 1

**Although the main events take place after Katherine's "death", we have to start from the beginning. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters (obviously).**

**Enjoy :)  
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><p><strong>The Beginning <strong>

There she stood. She had hair like a golden waterfall, flowing down her back. Her eyes were bluer than a clear sky on a summer afternoon, and even though the sun was setting, her translucent skin still seemed to glow. Stefan Salvatore stood in awe of the beauty before him.

He knew her name to be Katherine. Guiseppe, a friend of her father, had invited her and the Baron to stay with them in Italy for holiday. Guiseppe had also told Stefan that Katherine had been sickly as a young girl and was still frail from her former illness. Because of this, he hadn't expected to be smitten with this maiden as he was now. He was both ashamed of and happy for his misjudgment.

As their fathers exchanged greetings, Katherine gazed at Stefan for a moment. She took in his wavy dark hair, and his forest green eyes, and smiled. This alone caused something in his heart to flutter. That was when Katherine's father stepped in.

"_Guten Abend, _Stefan Salvatore!" he bellowed.

Stephan bowed slightly and replied, "The Baron Von Swartzchild. I hope that your journey to my home was everything but unpleasant. I welcome you." Stephan's eye shifted to Katherine. She extended her hand and Stephan held it gently in his and kissed it. "You must be Katherine," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, still holding her hand but staring in her eyes. You could see Katherine blush even in the fading light as she sheepishly nodded her head yes. The fathers exchanged knowing glances.

"Come," spoke Guiseppe turning to the Baron. "It is getting late. I shall have servants fetch your bags and show you to your rooms. You must be tired after your trip."

They all walked single-filed into the massive structure that was the Salvatore estate. It was during the Renaissance and the Salvatores were members of the elite.

Guiseppe and the Baron walked in front and Stefan followed Katherine from behind.

This summer was going to be one of bliss, Stefan thought to himself. And I can only be glad that my rash brother isn't here to spoil it all.

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><p>Despite the pounding in his head, Damon Salvatore couldn't help smiling at what little memory that he could grasp from the previous night. There was a woman wrapped in the sheets of his bed that Damon had never recalled meeting. He sat up and gazed at the mystery woman with his midnight black eyes in amusement. She had brown hair, pale skin, and full lips. Whatever lack I have in memory, he mused inwardly, I could never say that I lacked taste in women. A smirk crept across the defined features of his face.<p>

He then began to wonder what color the woman's eyes were and reached to wake her. As he did this, it dawned on him that he was exceptionally late for his classes, forcing him to forget about the woman. His father had shipped him off to University the prior year and had regretted it ever since. Almost the moment he stepped foot into the place, Damon built up a reputation as a womanizer and a gambler, and all this reflected on his father who saw him as a disgrace.

When Damon finally arrived, his tutor was nearly furious. He barely heard a word the small man said as thoughts of his turbulent relationship with his father floated through his mind. These thoughts led to those of his younger brother, Stefan.

My little brother wouldn't dare go against the will of our father, much to his delight, Damon thought. The Salvatore brother that everyone loves. I wonder what he's up to. He has probably been in the study with his head in a book since the moment that I left for this wretched establishment. Maybe I will surprise my useless brother and his proud father with an early homecoming.

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><p>At dinner that night, Stefan couldn't take his eyes of her. Never had he felt this way before, and all he wanted to do was talk to her. He wanted to know her.<p>

"Stefan, you are not eating. Are you well?" Guiseppe eyed his son curiously.

Stefan, his focus on Katherine momentarily broken, replied. "No, father. Just tired is all. But I'd hate to be so rude as to excuse myself in the middle of a meal when we have such guests present." His gaze shifted back to Katherine.

"Pa_pa_, I am tired also. May I go rest now?" said Katherine.

"By all means, love, and dream sweetly." The Baron was very fond of his daughter and never denied her a single wish. Besides the fact of her once failing health, Katherine reminded him of her mother, his dear wife, who was deceased. It was for that reason that he could never find it in his heart to make Katherine unhappy, even in the little things.

Katherine looked Stefan in the eye for just a fraction of a second before leaving the table. Stefan knew, although he didn't know how, what this meant. He turned to his father and the Baron. "If you both will excuse me, I'd like to turn in for the night as well."

"You may," replied Guiseppe. Stefan thanked the men and left the dining area without another word. Although he had been tired, Stefan was more energized now than he had ever been in his life. He wasn't going to his room to sleep. He was going outside. He was going to the garden to meet _her_.

Stefan walked outside and stopped. Katherine sat in the distance under the lemon tree. With her back to him, he could see her hair shining pale in the moonlight, and he was almost afraid to approach her. Finding this thought absurd, he pushed it out of his mind as quickly as it had entered. He touched her shoulder. She rose to face him and smiled.

"You came," she beamed. Her blue eyes were almost child-like to Stefan.

"I knew that I could find you here." He stroked her silky hair.

"I thought that you needed rest."

"How could I when you wanted me here with you? This has been the only thing that I've wanted since the moment we laid eyes. No flower in this garden could compare to your beauty." Katherine's now serene expression made Stefan, mesmerized, take a deep breath. "But shouldn't you be resting, love? I've been told of your condition."

Katherine giggled. "Oh, but Stefan! I've been well for some time now. You'll understand soon enough." Katherine was beaming again despite the apparent confusion that overtook Stefan's features.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Do not worry yourself with it, Stefan. You will know when the time is right." Stefan had only a moment to puzzle over this before Katherine sat back down under the tree and held his hand, motioning him to sit with her. Who was he to refuse? Stefan sat and once more gazed into her eyes. There was something peculiar about her eyes. Not only did they seem to dissect the most inner thoughts of his mind, but they also seemed to stare at his soul. This gave Stefan an odd feeling.

"Why are you suddenly so uneasy?" asked Katherine. "Have you changed your opinion of me already?"

"Never! It is just that when you say that I'll know certain things when the time is right it seems as though you have something to hide. Please, do not be hurt! My feelings for you have not and will never sway," Stefan added hastily as Katherine's eyes began to mist. He then hated himself for ever causing her any distress. He knew a way that would make up for his trespass.

Stefan took Katherine in his arms and stood, standing her up with him. He gazed at her longingly before bringing his lips down to her cool ones. One short, soft kiss was all it took to make Katherine smile at him again, and that was all Stefan wanted.

It was at that moment when the sun began to rise. "Oh Stefan, I hadn't realized how much the time has passed. I must go to my room now." Without another word, Katherine hurried inside and left Stefan standing there with their shared kiss still tingling on his mouth.

In his room, Stefan sat on his bed and ran the events of the previous night through his head, one by one. When he first laid eyes on Katherine. When they met under the lemon tree. When they kissed for the first time. All in one night. That was when he heard the shouting.

In his parlor, Guiseppe was raging. "What do you mean when you tell me this?"

"I mean what I said." replied a velvety voice. "I have kindly excused myself from the establishment that you chose for my education, and I will not be returning. I am sure I know much more than what those so-called instructors could teach me anyhow."

Guiseppe pointed a crooked finger. "Do you know what it took to keep you in that school after all of the trouble you have caused there? You have been a waste of my time before, but now you are a waste of my money!"

"What is this shouting I hear? Is everything as it should?" When Stefan entered the room, the tension was oppressive.

Guiseppe went on. "No! Not as long as _he_ continues to deliberately embarrass me and bring dishonor to the Salvatore name!"

Stefan didn't know what his father meant until he saw who was standing there with him.

"Damon."

"_Saluti_ little brother." Damon smirked.

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><p><strong>Don't you just love it when Damon shows up out of nowhere?<strong>

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**Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is Chapter Two!  
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**Hope you enjoy :)**

**AN: We're almost out of Renaissance Italy, so bear with me a little longer, lol.**

**Until then, pretty please click review and tell me what you think so far. I value constructive criticism just as much as praise.**

**Thank you!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, but I'm sure you knew that already...  
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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked. He couldn't help hoping that his brother had not yet seen Katherine – and he hoped that Damon never would. Her heart may have belonged to Stefan at that moment, but that wouldn't keep his deceptively suave brother from chasing it down and stealing it anyway.

"Now now, young Stefan. That is no way of telling your only brother that you missed him, especially since he's been away. Or have you noticed?" Stefan just stared at him. "What? I don't get a proper greeting of any sort? And I thought you were a nobleman."

"He is far nobler than you could ever strive to be," growled Guiseppe.

"Enough, father. Damon must be tired from his travels. Let him go and rest, now."

"Go. Get out of my sight." Guiseppe's voice was calmer now as he turned his head away from his son. Damon stepped to face Stefan.

"I do not need you to mediate for me, _boy_." And with that, Damon was out of the room. Now Stefan was the one trying to calm his anger at Damon. No one would ever demean Stefan in such a way; nevertheless refer to him as "boy". He had earned too much respect for that.

But this was Damon that we were dealing with. His respect wasn't earned by being a devoted student, an obedient son, or even a productive member of society. He didn't care how much you studied, Damon learned by living and achieving and not by reading about it.

This was where Damon most often clashed with his brother and even more so with his father. Stefan would just have to let it go for now, and maybe in time Guiseppe would too. For now, all Stefan had to do was make sure that Damon left Katherine alone. Little did he know that it was already too late.

Damon, heading to his bedroom, strode up a flight of stairs and down a corridor. As he went, something out of the corner of his eye made him stop in his tracks. He turned to his right to see a pale-haired maiden walking away from where he stood and down a separate hallway. He followed her silently until she sensed his presence and turned around.

"Oh!" Katherine jumped. "You frightened me. I have never known anyone to tread so lightly." She looked into Damon's eyes who took another step closer before answering.

"I don't believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you. What is your name?" Damon stared intently back at a smiling Katherine.

"I am Katherine. Your father invited me and my father, the Baron Von Swartzschild, to stay here for holiday. You must be Damon, the other Salvatore brother. I have heard about you." Katherine's smile broadened, and Damon's expression darkened and then became one of amusement within a split second difference.

"And how has your stay been thus far?" Damon asked.

"I have enjoyed it, greatly. Your home, and your country, is so beautiful. Oh, and Stefan is such a pleasure to be around."

"Not as much as _I_ will be," Damon replied teasingly. He then took her hand and kissed it. When he looked up, it was only to find Stefan by Katherine's side glaring.

"Katherine, has he disturbed you of your rest?" Stefan asked with eyes still fixed on Damon.

"Does the fair lady look disturbed to you, brother?" Damon referred to the smile that was still on Katherine's face as she eyed first Stefan and then looked back at him.

Without answering Stefan's question, Katherine continued smiling and resumed her walk down the hall before Damon approached her. The Salvatore brothers watched her in silence as she then disappeared around a corner. No sooner had she left, they immediately turned on each other.

"Do not bother perusing her affections, brother, because they already belong to me," Stefan spoke through clenched teeth.

"Or what, _brother_? What could you possibly do to stop me? You have always been the weaker one. Is that why you keep your head in books instead of detaching yourself from father's hip and living in the real world?" Damon always knew just how to taunt Stefan in order to get his temper flaring.

"If you focused more on your studies, and less on gambling and jousting, father wouldn't see you as a degradation to our very name."

"Oh? If Katherine's affections really belonged to you there would be no need for you to worry about what I might do to obtain them, now would there?" And with that, Damon turned on his heel and left Stefan standing there in cold fury.

Later that night, Damon found himself wandering to the garden. He had no idea why, for he had no interest in plants. But there was a certain tree that he was looking for – the lemon tree. He knew that when he found it, he would find her too.

And there she was.

Katherine smiled at Damon as he made his approach. "I knew you would come," she said. "Sit with me so that we can talk." Damon sat.

"What is it that you want to tell me?" he asked.

"I have a secret that I've never shared with any other. If I tell you, will you promise to keep it?"

"I will guard your secret as if it were my very heart," Damon promised.

Katherine giggled, and then, as quick as a viper, she struck. Katherine pierced Damon's throat with fangs like daggers and took a heavy sip of his blood.

At first, Damon struggled and tried to recoil, but her grip on him was far too strong and the struggling was becoming painful. He had no choice but to give in, and when he did the pain ceased.

Damon looked into the distorted face of Katherine's. From the bloodstained teeth to her crimson lips, he could hardly believe that this was the same fair maiden that he met in the corridor.

"Do you promise to keep my secret?" Katherine asked solemnly.

"I promise," was Damon's husky reply. And with that, Katherine's image faded into the dark as Damon slipped into unconsciousness.

Damon woke up the next morning in his own bed. He was in the most mental and physical comfort that he had ever been in until thoughts of last night began to trouble him. Katherine had a secret. Damon was supposed to keep this secret because he told her that he would do so. If Damon ever learned anything as a nobleman it was to always keep his word. That was the only lesson taught to him that he truly valued.

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><p>As Stefan sat up in bed, he placed fingers on the two small wounds of his neck. The previous night was a daze, but one thing that he remembered clearly is the fact that Katherine had entrusted him with her secret. One that she had only shared with him.<p>

Stefan never knew that such secrets could exist, but he would love Katherine regardless. He promised that he would.

Later in the day, Stefan found his brother in the library, flipping through a book nonchalantly.

"Have you seen Katherine?" Damon asked without looking up.

"What concern is it to you?" Stefan replied.

"I was only asking, brother. I saw her last night." This time Damon looked directly at his brother and smiled grandly. "It was _delightful._"

"What was?"

Stefan turned around and Damon's smile disappeared. Katherine was standing in the doorway.

"Katherine, why don't you and I go for our usual walk in the garden? It's nearly sunset. Wouldn't you like that, love?" Stefan asked her triumphantly in the sight of his brother. Then his pride was shattered.

"I would love to. Damon would you like to come with us?" Katherine was beaming at Damon, who smirked.

"It would be an honor," replied Damon as he linked his arm with hers. He didn't even take a moment to notice the anger that shone through Stefan's eyes as he and Katherine made their way to the garden.

Katherine called over her shoulder, "Won't you join us, Stefan?" Stefan contemplated staying behind, but his reemerging pride would not allow it. Damon could no longer be the stronger one.

"I'm coming," replied Stefan as he caught up with the two when they were outside.

They continued walking down a path silently, when they came across a large rain puddle blocking their way.

To Damon, who was still linked up with Katherine, Stefan said "Allow me, _brother_." Stefan swept Katherine off her feet and carried her around the puddle. He twirled her in his arms before setting her back down, while Katherine laughed the entire time. Damon watched with an emotionless expression that, to Stefan's annoyance, became one of amusement when he looked at Damon.

Damon walked around the puddle himself and stood in between Stefan and Katherine. "Shall we continue our stroll?" he asked.

Katherine giggled and replied, "Yes! I'm having so much fun this evening. I would be happy if it were like this forever."

Damon and Stefan looked at each other and then looked away. "Anything to make you happy, _love_. Shall we continue on?" Damon replied, mocking his brother.

For the entire walk, Damon stayed between Katherine and Stefan, preventing physical contact between the two.

At dinner, neither Salvatore brother could help stealing glances of Katherine. Afterwards, Damon and his father stood in a spare room talking.

"Is it wrong for me to assume that you have taken an interest in the Baron's daughter?" asked Guiseppe.

"Would it be an issue if I have?" Damon replied coolly.

"Yes. It would."

Damon's mood immediately darkened. "How so?"

"Katherine has always been a frail girl, and I believe that she would be more suited for Stefan. Besides, the Baron and I have already discussed marriage arrangements. Of course he would not force his daughter to marry, but if it be her wish she will marry Stefan. I do not want you interfering."

"I will do whatever I want." Damon walked out before giving his father a chance to argue, and smiled. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

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><p><strong>Katherine is a little player, isn't she?<strong>

**Well, that was chapter two and the fun is about to start. Now please click review and tell me what you think!  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter three, and I really hope you enjoy it. I must apologize for it being so short, but I've been trying to update all my stories this week (didn't really happen, lol). It's going to get better.**

**Please tell me what you think. Criticism is much appreciated.**

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><p><strong>DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. L.J. Smith created the TVD world, and I'm just playing with it.<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Katherine sat in on her bed thinking. Here she had two men vying for her love, and yet she felt affections for them both. Gudren, her maid, was standing by in case she needed anything.

"I do not know what I shall do," Katherine told her.

"I am sure you will make the right choice," was Gudren's simple reply.

_Stefan, _Katherine thought to herself. _I have never met anyone who loves as blindly as he does. The way he looks at me is so genuine. So pure, honest, and unconditional. I am perfection in his eyes. But what about Damon? He has a soul like fire. It blazes within him so strong, and I can feel it every time he is near. But even with his fire, he has a tenderness that cannot be matched. What name did he give me? Kitten. Yes._ _He called me his little white kitten._

Smiling at the recollection, Katherine closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. She was torn from her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door.

"Enter."

Damon sauntered in and Katherine, pleasantly surprised, stood from where she was sitting. As she opened her mouth to speak, Damon held his finger up for silence.

"Please, don't speak. Just listen," Damon began.

"Gudren, would you please give us a moment?" The maid nodded and left the room obediently, shutting the door behind her.

Once she had left, Damon continued. "I could go on for eternity explaining why I love you, and how you should be mine. I could list the thousands of things that I would do to make you happy. But I am afraid we do not have that long. Therefore, I will state it simply." Damon approached Katherine and held her face in his palms.

"Let me have your hand in marriage."

Damon stared deep into Katherine's blue eyes as he waited for a response. Katherine stared back, and then shifted her gaze in deep thought.

"Stefan," she muttered without thinking.

When Damon had been speaking, his ebony eyes were filled with sincerity and warmth. Now they were hard and angry.

"I see. Your heart really belongs to my idiot brother, no?"

"Do not call him that!" Katherine admonished.

"It is alright, love." Katherine and Damon hadn't noticed when the bedroom door crept open. Stefan leaned against the doorframe with natural grace.

"It is not polite to enter a lady's room without knocking," Damon said as he faced his brother. "And a nobleman should always stand up straight."

"The maid let me in. And just what do you know about being a nobleman?" Stefan replied.

"That is enough." Katherine stood in between Damon and Stefan, and looked at both of them in turn. "There's no need for you to fight anymore. I did entrust both of you with my secret, after all."

Both brothers stood directly in front of her.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.

"I love you both. Unfortunately, I do not know which one of you will live in the shadows for me," Katherine replied.

"I will," the brothers answered simultaneously. Katherine smiled.

"Katherine, please make a choice. Why do you seem so amused by this?" Stefan's voice was pleading, but Damon looked very calm and sure. That was another thing that Katherine liked. Damon didn't let things faze him – or at least he would never let it show.

"By tomorrow's sunset, I will have made my choice. Meet me in the garden if you wish to know what it is. You may go now," Katherine dismissed them. Slightly angered, Stefan turned to leave immediately, but Damon gave Katherine another glance before exiting the room himself.

"You can come back in now." When Gudren entered Katherine spoke to her again. "There is something I need you to do," she said.

"Ask me anything and it shall be done."

"I need you to have two talismans against the sun made."

Gudren nodded at her request and set out immediately. Katherine hugged her elbows and smiled, knowing that she couldn't be happier. The loves of her life were going to be hers, and the three of them would be together forever. She twirled, watching her favorite dress wrap around her heels.

_It is simply perfect._

That's what Katherine thought until dusk came the following day.

Because she chose them both, Katherine gave each brother her blood. When they found out that Katherine had done this, they surprised her by being angry. They demanded that she choose one or the other, but that was something that Katherine couldn't bring herself to do. So she ran away. And not only did she run away, but she made the Salvatore brothers think that she committed suicide in hopes that their grief would bring them together. Little did she know that her plan would seriously backfire.

Instead of the brothers uniting, they drew their swords and fought to the death – each blaming the other for what they thought was Katherine's demise. But what Damon and Stefan failed to remember was that they still had Katherine's blood running through their veins. So when they died, it was only for them to wake up in a tomb as creatures of the night.

Now, only thirty or so years later, Damon still resembled the same young man that he was when he "died". But he was very much different. Here, he stood in a crowd watching Giordano Bruno being burned at stake. It was a pitiful sight, he had to admit. And the humans seemed so riled up. And for what? It was pointless to him, really.

All thoughts were erased from his mind when he felt a familiar dryness in his veins.

_Lunch_, he thought to himself as he eyed a young maiden standing across the square.

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><p><strong>The fun is finally starting. The next chapter will be much longer to make up for this one, I assure you. <strong>

**I have a few tricks up my sleeve for the updates to come, so I don't think you'll be disappointed (I hope not).**

**Please review, and don't hesitate to check out my other stories if you wish. :) **

**Updates for those are on the way, as well.**

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><p><strong>Fact: Giordano Bruno was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer. He was burned at stake in 1600 for heresy.<strong>

This tidbit was brought to you by Wikipedia (because we all know that, before I wrote this chapter, the only "Bruno" that I'd ever heard of was Bruno Mars!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, I have to apologize for another short chapter - plus the fact that this hasn't been updated in ages. There's a lot going on right now (good things), so I've really put fan fiction on the back burner. But, with that said, I'm trying to get back on track with updates.**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Stefan had found himself a quaint dwelling place on the Italian country-side, not long after becoming a vampire. Sure he travelled a lot, for risk of being found out, but it was nice to have somewhere to come back to. The Salvatore estate was never an option. He found this lonely and deserted cottage as he wondered through the woods, trying to figure out what to do with himself. Damon had already left, threatening to kill Stefan if they ever met again. Stefan never saw his brother again after that. It was thirty years since they'd seen each other.

As of now, he was back in the woods on a hunt. It was almost dusk.

The thought of his brother brought back a flood of other memories better left forgotten, yet impossible to get rid of. Fighting with Damon. Giussepe shouting who knows what in the background. The sword going through Stefan's heart, but him not dying until he can get his own through Damon's.

_Katherine._

Stefan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Yes, those were memories best left untouched. Stefan would shove the memories back into the hidden crevices of his mind and get back to hunting. He could smell a deer nearby.

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><p>Damon licked the remaining crimson liquid from his lips as he walked through town. The girl had been maybe 17 or 18, petite, but surprisingly filling. He'd left her unconscious in a deserted alley, so Damon was sure that she'd find her way home with no problem after she woke up. Whatever she remembered would just be like a wonderful, and slightly confusing, dream. Damon made sure of that.<p>

Now it was only a matter of finding something else to do. Having an eternity of time at your disposal has its pitfalls when you're bored. Damon could always find another girl to snack on, but the other one really did fill him up. Damon had never been a glutton and he felt no need to start, so feeding again was out of the question for now.

He walked past all the shops closing up for the night. Only the local tavern was just opening. Maybe he could go in and pick a fight? But that would be no fun. None of these pathetic humans stood a chance against Damon, and he knew it.

_What to do? What to do?_

It had been a few years since Damon been in Italy for longer than just a mere passing through. Now he wondered why he even bothered spending a few nights there. What was the point? There was nothing left for him here, except for maidens who were too trusting towards handsome strangers. Yet, Damon found himself visiting his hometown anyway.

As Damon walked out of town and got closer to the woods, he sensed a familiar presence. Smirking to himself, Damon took the form of a crow and soared upward. Landing, he perched on a tree in front of the window of a rundown cottage. Inside, he could see a young man with wavy, chestnut brown hair and a facial profile fit to be stamped a Roman coin. The man had a faraway look in his forest green eyes, as he stared into the flames confined in the stone fireplace.

Obviously getting the feeling that he was being watched, the man turned his head to the window that the crow was watching him through. Damon inwardly smiled to himself, and began preening his feathers. Poor, naïve little Stefan had no idea who was outside his window.

_I could kill him now_, Damon thought. _But let's see if he recognizes me_.

A hint of something, maybe confusion, registered in Stefan's features. But it vanished nearly as quick as it appeared. He turned back to the fire.

_Simple boy._

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><p>Upon turning is head from the window, thinking deeply, Stefan heard the crow outside beat its wings and take off in flight. He felt strange to admit it, but there was something familiar in the way that bird watched him. A cynical, almost human, stare.<p>

_Could it be?_ Stefan thought. _No…but it's possible._ _No._

The thought seemed foolish to Stefan, to see a crow and mistake it for his brother, Damon. He'd heard of vampires shape-shifting, but he knew that if he ever saw Damon again it would be in powerful combat - not Damon spying on him in avian form.

_Most likely, I'll never see my brother again._

_Are you certain? _something echoed in Stefan's mind. That's when the realization took over.

His brother was a lot closer than Stefan thought.

Stefan rose from his seat and wrenched open the front door of his cottage. Before him stood a dark haired man, with fathomless black eyes and a grin tugging at his lips. Stefan felt himself go rigid.

"Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"

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><p><strong>Well, that was that. I hoped you liked it!<strong>

**This will probably be updated sooner than later because I know what happens next (kind of). **

**Updates to all my other stories (besides that ridiculous poem one - that'll get updated whenever I feel like it) are on the way.**

**Thank you for reading :) Please review with any thoughts or criticisms. I'm open to your opinions and value your reviews very much.**


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